The present invention is directed to a coupling member for a transmission of shock waves from a shock wave source onto a patient to be treated.
In the field of medical diagnostic apparatus, which work with ultrasound, it is known to couple the ultrasound applicator to the patient to be examined by means of a coupling paste. Such a paste has a disadvantage that air inclusions can occur at the boundary surface between the applicator and the patient when the applicator is removed and reapplied. These air inclusions lead to disturbances in the ultrasound image. It is also known in this field to employ preliminary paths for the diagnostic examination of patients and these paths have their speed of sound adapted to that of the body tissue. These preliminary paths are generally formed as containers, which include bags, sacks or the like, and are filled with a liquid such as, for example, water. The container is usually coupled with a coupling paste to the ultrasound oscillation exciter and to the patient. In this way, disturbing reflections at the boundary surface of the ultrasound applicator and also at the boundary surface of the examination, subject can be avoided.
The invention is not related to an ultrasound diagnostic installation, but rather to a shock wave therapy means, namely a means for disintegrating of a concretions in the body of a life form. Such a means for disintegration or disaggretation is disclosed, for example, in German OS No. 33 28 039 and in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 634,021, filed July 24, 1984, which application issued as U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,505 and claims priority from German Patent Application No. 33 28 051. In this disintegration device as well, a coupling paste has heretofore been utilized for coupling and thus for transmitting shock waves on the path from the shock wave source to the patient to be treated. Even when a rubber-elastic member, for example as disclosed in German OS No. 33 12 014, a liquid-filled pillow, for example as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,989 which claimed priority from German Application No. 31 46 626, or a liquid-filled accordion bellows, for example as disclosed in German OS No. 33 19 871, was employed in such a disintegration device on this path, a free-flowing coupling paste, nevertheless, had to be employed for coupling these elastic component parts, at least on the side of the patient. The use of such a coupling paste, however, requires a thorough preparation of the patient before the actual therapeutic treatment and also requires a careful cleaning of the patient, and under given conditions of the shock wave apparatus as well after its use.
It would therefore be desirable if the coupling paste could be replaced with a coupling member which, first, guarantees an acoustical reliable coupling of the shock waves without gas inclusion at the boundary surface, which makes involved cleaning after the treatment superfluous and which is simple to handle in terms of manipulation.
A coupling member in the field of ultrasound wherein the first two demands are met is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,854, which claims priority from an application resulting in the U.K. Patent Application GB No. 2,102,657. The problem of manipulating of the gel compound is not discussed in further detail in this reference.